IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti retires following crash in Houston

3-time Indianapolis 500 winner driver Dario Franchitti sits in his pit lane prior to the start of qualifying Saturday April 20, 2013 at the 39th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Franchitti retired Thursday from racing due to injuries he incurred from an accident in Houston this past September. (Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

Will Dario Franchitti miss racing in Southern California as much as he’ll be missed by the tracks where he won races?

Franchitti, a winner at both the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and Auto Club Speedway, announced his withdrawal from open-wheel competition Thursday due to injuries he suffered in a crash in the Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 6. He did use the word retire in the lengthy statement released by Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

Franchitti, 40, broke his spine and his right ankle and suffered a concussion after contact with Takuma Sato’s car on the last lap sent Franchitti’s car into the crash fence. The accident, the worst in his racing career, also injured 13 fans in the grandstands and one IndyCar official.

Upon his return to Indianapolis, he had two additional surgeries on his ankle. Franchitti has returned to his native Scotland to recover.

“One month removed from the crash and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing,” Franchitti said in the statement. “They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long-term well-being.

“Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop.”

Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 three times among his 31 career victories, and four IndyCar Series championships. He’s tied for eighth on the all-time win list, sixth on the all-time list with 33 poles, and his series titles are second only to A.J. Foyt on the all-time list.

He also developed a solid relation with Parnelli Jones, one of the sport’s all-time best from Torrance.

“Dario was a hell of a driver and will be missed; missed by everyone in racing around the world. He was my kind of guy ... he wasn’t afraid to put his foot down and go,” said Jones. “It is really hard to believe that he had to give up racing, I know he would have won more races, and maybe Indy a couple more times, had he been able to continue driving.”

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Franchitti raced eight times at ACS in Fontana, winning the 2005 Indy Racing League Toyota 400 at an average speed of 168.567 mph. He was second in 2012 to Ed Carpenter and missed this season’s race due to the Houston crash.

At Long Beach, Franchitti took the green flag five times, winning the street course race in his first attempt in 2009. He also finished third in 2011 and was fourth last April.

Both ACS track president Gillian Zucker and TGPLB president Jim Michaelin spoke highly of Franchitti and were of the same opinion of what he meant to race fans in both markets.

“Dario’s drive and passion for racing made him a fan favorite, not just here in Southern California, but around the world,” said Zucker. “We’ll miss his infectious enthusiasm behind the wheel when IndyCar returns to Auto Club Speedway in 2014.

“In the meantime, we wish him the best as he transitions into his next role and thank him for the indelible mark he left on the sport.”

Michaelian is hopeful Franchitti will return to Long Beach if, as his plans unfold, he remains working in an off-track position.

“He’s been a great ambassador for the sport. He’s great at connecting with the fans, media and sponsors,” said Michaelian. “It is a loss for us. He not only talked about it, but was able to back it up on the track. He had his own opinions.

“He loves the sport, and gave us great finishes the last few years. We, as a sport, have to be thankful for his efforts.”

Team owner Chip Ganassi echoed those sentiments.

“Dario Franchitti has done so much for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, so it will be very disappointing to not see him in our cars next season,” Ganassi said. “But simply put, Dario is a motorsports legend and will be sorely missed on the race track by everyone in the paddock and in the stands.

“His contributions to the sport of motor racing are too many to list, but I can tell you that they go way beyond what he has done on the track.”